On the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law
A-10-2026-0007
Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs · Rapporteur: José Cepeda, Paulo Cunha
- Voted on · Adopted 455–101–74 · See the decision →
- Full procedure 2025/0136
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Parliament gives its consent to the conclusion of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, which is the first international legally binding treaty on AI governance.¶ The Convention requires that AI systems respect human rights, democracy and the rule of law throughout their lifecycle, with principles including human dignity, transparency, accountability and non-discrimination, and measures such as risk assessments, remedies and notification of interaction with AI.¶¶¶ The Convention is implemented in the EU through existing legislation, notably the AI Act, GDPR and non-discrimination rules, and the EU may grant wider protection than the Convention provides.¶¶¶
Committee position. The co-rapporteurs recommend that Parliament endorse the draft Council decision and give its consent to the conclusion of the Convention.¶
Key points
- Parliament consents to the conclusion of the Convention.¶
- The Convention is the first international legally binding treaty on AI governance, aiming to ensure AI activities respect fundamental rights, democracy and the rule of law while fostering innovation.¶
- The Convention requires risk and impact management, including assessments of impacts on human rights, democracy and the rule of law, and allows authorities to ban or impose moratoria on certain AI applications.¶
- AI lifecycle activities must comply with principles such as human dignity, equality, privacy, transparency, accountability and reliability, and affected persons must have access to information, remedies and notice of interaction with AI.¶
- Parties may grant wider protection than the Convention provides; the EU's existing legislation, including the AI Act and GDPR, already sets a higher level of protection.¶
- The Convention addresses risks from deepfakes and generative AI by requiring transparency, traceability and accountability to protect democratic processes and public trust.¶¶
- The Convention is relevant for cultural and creative sectors, education and media, supporting freedom of expression, media pluralism and protection of creators' rights.¶¶¶
- The Convention promotes participation, AI literacy and media literacy, and the EU encourages global alignment with its human-centric approach to AI.¶¶
Who is affected
- The European Union and its member states, which will be bound by the Convention upon conclusion.¶
- Developers and deployers of AI systems, who must comply with the Convention's principles and risk management requirements.¶¶
- Individuals affected by AI systems, who gain rights to information, remedies and notice of interaction.
- Cultural and creative sectors, education and media, which benefit from safeguards for creators and content.¶¶¶
Figures and deadlines
Legal basis: Articles 114 and 218(6) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union¶